It is 20 years this week since Arsenal's 'Invincibles' won the league at White Hart Lane, crowning one of the finest campaigns in English top-flight history in the sweetest way possible.

Mikel Arteta's side cannot do the same at Tottenham's new home on Sunday but the latest edition of the north London derby could be the most significant in a title race since, and an Arsenal win would maintain their hopes of a first championship since 2004, even if Manchester City remain firm favourites.

For both clubs, a fixture which is always more important than any other is charged with even greater jeopardy than usual this weekend. Both have the chance to make it a memorable occasion, maybe even one for the ages, albeit for very contrasting reasons.

Arsenal still have to play Bournemouth, Manchester United (at Old Trafford) and Everton but on paper the derby is their toughest test remaining, not least because it is the last of a gruelling run of nine games in 29 days and ahead of three clear midweeks in the run-in.

A third win in the space of a week would demonstrate beyond doubt that Arteta's side have recovered from the setbacks against Aston Villa and Bayern Munich, which many predicted would effectively end their season, and pile the pressure back onto City, who play later on Sunday.

A statement result for Arteta's side would also have the added bonus of denting their rivals' top-four challenge and demonstrating just how far clear Arsenal are of Ange Postecoglou's promising-but-green Spurs project.

Two years ago, Arsenal travelled up Seven Sisters Road in what was near enough a play-off for fourth but imploded in a ferocious atmosphere, with Rob Holding sent off in a 3-0 Spurs win.

The fact that Holding, Cedric Soares and Mohamed Elneny started that game illustrates Arsenal's enormous progress since, and they have already proven they are a far better, more durable side now, no longer dogged by accusations of a soft centre or weak mentality.

Like that game in May 2022, losing on Sunday — or even failing to win — would not be fatal to Arsenal's ambitions but it would deal such a blow from which it would be impossible to imagine them recovering against such a relentless predator as City. Their confidence and momentum would be shot.

As for Spurs, they probably need to win to maintain their hopes of overhauling Aston Villa for fourth, although most of the pressure on the hosts stems not from their own position in the table but Arsenal's — particularly as Postecoglou has said he "couldn't care less" about the top-four.

Many Spurs fans seem similarly ambivalent about a return to the Champions League — the Europa League is more winnable, after all — but their team simply must not lose this weekend because Arsenal must not be allowed to win the title. It is as simple as that.

Spurs can take enormous inspiration from Everton, who surely ended Liverpool's title ambitions with a 2-0 win at Goodison Park on Wednesday.

The decibels will be similar at Spurs, and a question is whether a combination of the pressure and hostility will impact Arsenal again.

For Postecoglou, nothing matters apart from continued progress on the pitch but a 4-0 defeat by Newcastle last time out has contributed to some rumblings of discontent from supporters about the Australian's high-risk, non-negotiable approach.

Spurs fans should hold their nerve — grim results are to be expected in a rebuild — but a defeat by Arsenal would potentially place the manager under pressure from some fans and change the outlook of what has been an encouraging season, particularly if it was followed by another poor result against Chelsea on Thursday.

On the flip side, beating Arsenal could galvanise the whole club behind Postecoglou's brave rebuild, uniting the doubters and the evangelists — especially if they do so by taking the game to the Premier League leaders in their manager's aggressive style. It would give their whole campaign a rosier feel.

Spurs have made enormous strides since the late 90s and early 2000s, when their season so often boiled down to the hope of being spoilers for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, but ending their neighbours' title hopes would still make for a euphoric occasion for their fans.

One thing is certain: Postecoglou will not deviate from his front-foot approach, even if an open game would, in theory, play into Arsenal's hands.

Arteta's side have tended to be most frustrated by low blocks but another chaotic and open derby, like the 2-2 draw at the Emirates in September, would potentially suit Spurs as much as Arsenal.

This is a fixture which rarely disappoints and tends to upset the form book, like all good derbies should. At the risk of tempting fate, it has the makings of a classic.